Kamloops daycare with expiring lease finds new location

KAMLOOPS - After more than two decades of leasing a building from Interior Health Authority, a Kamloops daycare centre is finally one step closer to securing a new spot after they were told their lease would expire next summer.

The Children’s Circle Childcare Centre is run by the non-profit organization, Children’s Circle Daycare Society, and since the late 1990s, they have been located next to Royal Inland Hospital providing daycare services for toddlers and children up to five-years-old.

Royal Inland Hospital is expanding and a parkade is being planned for the area the daycare centre currently occupies at 904 Third Ave.

The daycare centre’s manager Colleen Malcolm says they recently secured a new location and they are working with ARPA Investments to finalize the details of the development and purchase agreement.

An illustrative drawing of the proposed daycare centre to be built on two Valleyview Drive properties.

Image Credit: SUBMITTED/ Children's Circle Daycare Society

“We are now embarking on the inspiring job of building an amazing childcare centre that we can call our own,” Malcolm says in a written statement. The address of the new location is 1642 and 1646 Valleyview Dr.

"At nearly half an acre in size, the property is spacious enough to accommodate a 6,000 square foot building, sufficient parking for both parents and staff as well as provide over 6,500 square foot outdoor play space which has excellent coverage from a mature tree canopy," Malcolm says.

However, securing a piece of property hasn’t been an easy process for the non-profit organization.

Malcolm says they struggled to get a loan in order to buy a piece of land to build on.

“Banks do not recognize a piece of property as a financially viable anything,” she says. “(The banks) would like a building on it, so we have struggled with trying to buy a piece of land to build a building on because we can’t get a loan.”

Malcolm says they came to the realization that leasing was no longer a long-term solution for the daycare, which is why they wanted to purchase a piece of land and build a building big enough for up to 120 children. The daycare is still trying to secure a guarantor for the funding, Malcolm says that is still in the works.

The current centre sees roughly 50 children at the centre every day. The new location would nearly double the number of children the centre currently serves.

The current lease ends in June 2019. The construction is expected to take longer than the daycare's remaining lease and a temporary location will be provided during the crossover period, Malcolm says.

Those details will be made available by the daycare as they come available.

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